1911 3" .45Acp

Rented a 1911. .45acp 3in sig sauer and wasnt pleased. I own a full size 1911 and shoot great with it, but did terrible with the 3". I would imagine it from it being such a small barrel with such a big bullet. Any thoughts?

It's likely not the gun's accuracy potential itself, smaller guns are inherently harder to shoot accurately,by everyone. Anybody that can shoot sub-compacts and micro compacts as well as they can a full size has had a LOT of practice with it.

Rented a 1911. .45acp 3in sig sauer and wasnt pleased. I own a full size 1911 and shoot great with it, but did terrible with the 3". I would imagine it from it being such a small barrel with such a big bullet. Any thoughts?

Quote:

Originally Posted by aandabooks

I shoot my XDS with the same barrel length and the .45. I don't shoot it as well as I shoot my fullsize 1911 but I don't expect to. That 2" of barrel will make a big difference.

I was shooting a full size 1911 and then bought an XDS. First time I shot it I thought something might be wrong with the gun. Then I regrouped and figured out the gun was fine. The extra 2" of barrel makes a big difference.. Don't judge the gun after just one try. I can now hold my own out to about 10 yards with the XDS but it took a few hundred rounds of ammo to get there.

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Rented a 1911. .45acp 3in sig sauer and wasnt pleased. I own a full size 1911 and shoot great with it, but did terrible with the 3". I would imagine it from it being such a small barrel with such a big bullet. Any thoughts?

You weren't pleased because of the accuracy, correct? If so, the others have already touched on the why. Small gun = greater potential for error. Requires more work on the part of the shooter.

I have a full size .45 and a Kimber custom carry w/ 3" barrel. The short barreled version is slightly less accurate, but mostly the shorter sight radius is inherently less accurate more due to the human behind the gun than the gun.

I also find the smaller gun much more difficult to handle the recoil...a seasoned shooter will do better, but for me, it is sharp!

The picture below is from about 20 yards on a bench...that last group was about 25 rounds in to my laser sighting in activity....the second batch of 25 wasn't as good as I think I was beginning to fatigue mentally. I thought it was pretty good for me and gave me a lot more confidence in the gun.

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i was a bit hesiant at first about my SA Micro Compact 45 not being as accurate as my full size 1911's. but once i got familiar with it, and did more shooting with it, i have found it to be quite accurate for such a short barreled pistol. very pleased that i bought after all.

My first 45 was a used Colt Officers. It was an all steel version and heavily modified. It feels heavier than my full size 1911 and the extra weight does a remarkable job w recoil but also makes it a chore to carry. (No Free Lunch) The gun is an excellent shooter.

Do not give up on the shorter barrel - it may be a variety of factors. Some guns need a break in period - some shooters as well. Try changing your grip, dry firing practice to improve trigger control and concentrate on the fundamentals.

I had an XDM - 4.5" and it took me 500 rds before it started to shoot straight. Did I shoot the barrel smooth or was it me being stubborn ? Probably a mixture of both.

The hardest gun to master by most accounts is the snub nose revolver. I have bo-cu problems seeing the sights but mine hits the Tgt when I do my part.

This past weekend I spent sometime working with some of my compact guns. Para P-10 .45 acp , Beretta Px-4 sub-compact in 9mm and my Ruger LC-9.
I much prefer a single action pistol but have grown to love the Beretta which is Dbl/singel it is superbly accurate when I do my part.
The p-10 is my baby and I love it 11 rds of .45 acp in such a small package is my cup of tea! Now the LC-9 is great to carry its dbl. action only and its certainly the more difficult to master.
That said the fire-arms themselves are more accurate than most shooters its just more difficult to master them. If you shorten the sight radius by almost half you have effectively doubled the human error!
But you can learn to shoot them all accurately within their limitations with practice, diligence and devotion, I'm still working on the LC-9 but its coming surely but slowly (I wish they made it in singe action)
The Kimber Solo looks very interesting to ma as does the AMP.